Coffee, Cobwebs, and Curriculum

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Sunday, September 10, 2017

On my way to take Abbey to a birthday party yesterday, we came to a 4-way stop. Above it was a blinking red light to alert drivers of the intersection. Lost in thought and fighting a headache, I sat staring at that red light for a full five seconds, waiting for it to turn green so I could proceed through the intersection.

Abbey and I got a good laugh out of it and we moved on down the road, but it sure got me to thinking about how distracted I've been lately. Life is incredulously busy and my brain can hardly handle it all. The threat of clutter--both physical and spiritual-- is how it keeps our discipleship from being all it can be. I am quite sure I never fully grasped the concept when I was younger, but boy, do I ever now! Less is more! When my children were young, I discovered they would play together and much more happily in a room that was straightened up. So if their playroom became overwhelmed with toys and a mess, they would move into the areas of the home which were clean and start making a mess playing there. Once their rooms were tidied up again, they would happily play in their own spaces again. I have observed it over and over, with all the kids who have come into my home--their brains need organization and clutter-free zones, even if they don't understand the "why" of it all.

Adults are the same way. We also need organized, uncluttered spaces in our lives. We need quiet time when all we think about are the praises and prayers on our hearts. We need enough space to be able to voice them earnestly and sincerely to our Lord, who is always eager to listen.

An actual drawing of my brain.

In a cluttered mind, prayers can become trite, short, and nothing less than duty. You see a post on Facebook that requests prayer covering and you type "Praying" or the hands-folded-in-prayer emoji and you move on through your newsfeed, hardly giving it another thought. Yep. I'm guilty, too. Superficiality is the curse of our age.

God desires so much more for us, for our hearts. He knows that a simpler life means a much more peaceful life. And please know that while you may want to give away a lot of your possessions (which I recommend), the focus should not be on getting rid of what we have, but rather upon cultivating the disposition of "a life of joyful unconcern for possessions" (Richard J. Foster).

"Deep calls to deep" as the Psalmist penned, and we can live a more spiritually-fulfilling life if we take time to focus on the important things each day. The work is not our own, but rather of the Lord.'s He will change our focus if we are willing to let Him have control of our cluttered minds and hearts. Find that space, learn to say 'no' to the unimportant, get up five minutes earlier, give away the clothes you've not worn in years, simplify your life. You won't regret it.

"If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:7

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

[A letter to my son and his love, who will marry each other this coming weekend. My heart is full. The following is my love letter to them.]

Dear Connor and
Ashley,

I love y’all and I am
so happy you’re happy. As you embark on this exciting time of your lives,
my gift to you is to share some of the wisdom that life and the Lord have
taught me. Grab a seat and have fun reading!

Sleep on it. Especially big decisions.

Keep God in the center of both the good and the
bad days.

Don’t work your life away.

Rest on Sundays.

Hold her hair back when she has a throw-up virus.

Expect that his viruses will always be worse than
yours. [Or so I’m told.]

Go fishing often, even if it’s from the bank.

Sit close to the front at church and at meetings.

Pray WITH each other. Even when it’s awkward, say
prayers out loud each morning with each other. It will get easier and you will
start to crave that time together.

Pray FOR each other, even when you’re
not together.

Remember that some days you will have to go
through the MOTIONS until the EMOTIONS follow.

It’s okay to be
upset but don’t stop being respectful.

You don’t have to fix each other’s problems.
Just listen. Hug. Be there.

Make sure it’s the two of you against the world.
Protect your marriage as a sacred entity, because it is.

Find someone to help each day.

Be submissive to your husband. Treat your wife as
a treasure.

Put your phone down for important
conversations. Make eye contact.

Be the first to say ‘I’m sorry.’ Make eye contact
when you do it.

Invest in a heated mattress pad with separate
controls. Trust me.

Spend time alone, separately, doing something you
want to do. Even Jesus went to the woods for a while.

Don’t go to bed with a dirty kitchen.

Sleep on it. Especially big fights.

Be the first to forgive.

Treat each other better
than you treat your friends.

Don’t use the past against each other.

Make a 10-year plan and have fun figuring out how
to reach that goal.

Put back $10 a week. You’ll have $520 by the end
of the year.

Don’t make major decisions when either
of you is tired.

Don’t spend more than $30 without asking each
other for input.

Discover each other’s love language and use it to
speak to each other.

Be each other’s biggest fan and biggest
cheerleader.

Build each other up in front of
others.

Always say goodbye with a kiss.

Don’t keep a mental (or written) record of wrongs.
The world will take care of that for you.

Always make sure there’s ice cream in
the freezer and Pringles in the pantry.

Set an eating-out budget and stick to it. (And
order water and spend that money on a dessert instead.)

It’s okay to eat hotdogs and boxed mac and cheese
on the slim money weeks.

Put the cap back on the toothpaste.

Empty a full trashcan.

Celebrate the special days in special
ways. Every time.

Slow dance in the middle of the den at random
times.

Don’t use credit cards. If you can’t afford it,
you don’t need it. If you need it and can’t afford it, ask for help.

Learn to listen without thinking about what you’re
going to say next.

Pray daily for wisdom and courage, not for
things.

Always wear your seatbelts.

Make cookies for your neighbors.

Be kinder than necessary.

Always check the health/food inspector grade right when you walk in a restaurant.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Grief is a funny animal. It has no rhyme or reason, and it certainly has no time table. It can hit you like a ton of bricks at the most inopportune moments, and it can all at once make you sad for the loss yet grateful for the time together. I grabbed a spoon out of the drawer the other morning to stir my coffee and right there in the kitchen, I starting bawling, missing my grandparents so much it hurt. I have inherited many of their kitchen silverware pieces, and this spoon was one of those simple, yet prized possessions.

I am so grateful I was raised by them, as they became such a steadying force in my unstable childhood. As an adult, the voice I hear in my head when making decisions is not that of my parents, but of my grandparents. WWMSD--(What Would Mary and Sam Do?)--really does sometimes cross my mind. And I smile at the memory of them giving me a hug--or in Granny's case, a swat on my backside--and helping me figure out my current crisis. For all of you who completely understand loss and pain and grief, I know you know how it feels. One minute you're crying over missing them and the next minute you're laughing over a sweet memory of them. Let me encourage you all--Hope has a rope! Every single day we wake up, we find ourselves one day closer to our loved ones in heaven! We are one day closer to healed, perfect bodies! Focusing on what is to come is an amazing way to view this difficult life because we, in our earthly state, see so much of the bad, but God wants us to see so much of the good still present on this side of heaven. We must hold onto the rope that connects us to heaven, where the joyful eternity with our loved ones by our made-whole-again sides will be all we know. No more tears, no more terrorists attacks, no more evil. Just beautiful reunions with those we miss so much!

“God doesn’t expect you to be happy about what has been torn from your hands—whether it’s a marriage, your health, a job, or someone you love—but if you are willing to trust him, he can turn trash into triumph.” ~~Levi Lusko, Through the Eyes of a Lion"He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” Rev 21:4

Monday, February 6, 2017

It is no secret that we are huge Susan K. Marlow fans in this household--we've been reading Circle C Adventures books for over five years now. It's been fun to watch my daughter grow up as the main character in the books does as well. In this installment, Andrea Carter (Andi) is now 16 years old, becoming more and more independent, and facing some of the toughest challenges to date. As her cousin Daniel's family sends him to the ranch for 'rehab', he brings with him tons of mischief and criminal behavior which wreaks havoc on the family business and into Andi's personal life. After a horrible accident injures Andi and her beloved horse Taffy, Andi must face one of the hardest physical and emotional comebacks of her life. Learning to forgive is harder than she could ever imagine. I love the honest way Andrea must face that task, as it strikes a nerve for all of us who have struggled to do so.

Weaving intrigue and human struggle through her stories, author Susan Marlow is the best at helping young adults learn to filter tough challenges through the light of the Lord. One of the best benefits to Mrs. Marlow's books is her equally well-done study guides. These are free, full of supplemental learning opportunities which help the story come to life even more for the reader. Here are some sample pages from the 41-pp study guide for The Last Ride:

As always, I highly encourage your young readers to grab all of the readers offered by Marlow. Parents, you do not have to worry about what your child may be reading--it's a safe zone here! You can purchase the entire series in Circle C Milestones on Amazon or through Susan's author site found here. This installment does not disappoint, and my daughter and I both can't wait to read the next chapter in the series,Courageous Love.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Looking for a solid language arts program for your students? You owe it to your child to at least take time to consider this amazing program from author Denise Eide---Logic of English.

I reviewed an earlier version of this program a few years ago, so I was looking forward to seeing the updates in this edition of Essentials. As an older child, Abbey is on the upper end of the age range for this program, but that allowed us to focus on the Level C, and really discover new facets of it. But let's start at the beginning......At its core, Logic of English (LOE) is an unbelievably detailed phonetic learning program that helps students learn the correct spellings of phonic sounds from the very beginning. Learning how to spell the sounds the students hears sets them up for later success in reading and in spelling. LOE breaks down the mechanics of learning in ways that no other current program on the market can match. Check out the scope and sequence for even more details! Here's how we used it: In the Teacher's Edition (a must have), the lessons are broken into sections based on the skill level of your students--Levels A, B, and C. The method for learning to spell includes saying the word, finger spelling the word, analyzing which phonogram to use, writing the word, and then analyzing the word for which part of speech it is. This method works many different parts of the brain, and this is part of what makes it successful.

We chose to focus on Level C because of Abbey's age and skill level, but I also want to share with you some of the amazing components of the system for all levels: Phonogram cards--Coordinating perfectly with the lesson plans, each week your child will be learning new phonograms and the sounds each letter or combination of letters make. Remember, this work may seem tedious, but there is a method behind it and trusting the system is crucial to success. I highly recommend purchasing the LOE app for your phone or tablet, because the phonogram cards coordinate nicely with it as well and it adds another level of learning to the mix.

Essentials Teacher's Guide, Volume 1--The newly updated teacher's guide is so well laid out and user-friendly, I consider it a must-have to be successful with this program. It takes out the tough work for you, and allows you to teach LOE like a pro!

Essentials Student Workbook, Volume 1--You'll need this workbook and a spelling journal for each student in your home, as they are consumable, but you will be glad they have their own space to write and learn and grow in their language mastery.

Spelling Journal--Three levels of spelling lists are included. Definitions and Greek and Latin roots are discussed, and parts of speech are also addressed. It's a spelling list on steroids--it's awesome!

Spelling Rule Flash Cards--These are an amazing reference for the entire program and beyond. We will be referring to these for many years to come.

Grammar Flash Cards---Another wonderful resource, these flash cards cover the basic rules of grammar, and I allowed my daughter to keep them with her on her desk as she worked through the program.

Advanced Phonogram Flash Cards--Once your students have mastered the basic phonograms, they are ready to move to these advanced combinations. I recommend not skipping purchasing this set.

Morpheme Flash Cards, Set 1--We used this set more than any of the others, because we focused so much on spelling and vocabulary. These are just chock full of information on each card. They are color-coded and help students learn roots, prefixes, and suffixes, and how they all work together. My daughter's spelling ability increased exponentially over the three months we used this! We spent a lot of time discussing each root and its meaning, so that when she sees that root again, she can have a better understanding of what the new word may mean. I was so pleased with her amazing knowledge of vocabulary as well. Even if she wasn't necessarily using the new words each week in her normal conversation, she would recognize it when she heard it in other conversations in person or on television.

Phonogram Game Cards--Throughout the program, games are interjected to help your students really solidify in their minds, the concepts they are learning along the way. The game cards and games tiles are used in a very purposeful manner and not JUST for filling time and space. They are available in manuscript, cursive, and standard bookface.

Phonogram Game Tiles---These color-coded tiles are super helpful for teaching your younger ones--The set includes all of the 74 basic phonograms taught in Logic of English® curriculum, not just the A-Z letters!

The bottom line:

My daughter who is now an 8th grader, who had been a struggling reader, has a much better understanding of the English language, is a much better reader, and even increased her spelling skills--a feat I did NOT think possible at the beginning of the school year.

The entire set of Essentials 2nd Edition is currently on sale for $198 and includes all of the above, plus more! You can also purchase each item individually on their website. Do yourself a favor and read more about the 'how' and 'why' it works so well!

Saturday, March 12, 2016

This telephone pole which sits next to our driveway is the vantage point of so many types of birds. On any given day you can hear woodpeckers knocking, observe mockingbirds and bluebirds fussing at each other from the power lines, or see beautiful doves resting for a moment before loudly fluttering off. Maybe it's a sign I'm getting older, but I absolutely love to bird watch. They are such amazing works of God--their colors, the way they move, the sounds they make. I just love them!

But beyond their beauty, they are also teaching me that it's okay to stop and rest sometimes, and getting to that vantage point is more than it seems. Yes, those spiritual highs in our life are great, because they refresh our souls, but we simply can't stay there too long. Life won't allow it. From those high points we can observe what is truly happening in the spiritual realm all around us, and we can gain perspective. We realize the battle never ends. At least not on this side of heaven. It is exhausting, isn't it? This Christian life makes it hard to take deep breaths sometimes (a lot of times). I just want like a whole week with no work issues, no fires to put out, no migraines, no sadness. (A girl can dream.) But we all know God has called us to live in a fallen world, and to be salt and light for those who are struggling even more than we are. He has called us to soar. So take off, my friends, and go spread your love in this hurting world!

“You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavor, what will happen to the world?" Matthew 5:13

"They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31